Мария Старожицкая - Навіщо. What For

Veles

— Go. I'll be in the hut.

Scene 4

Teseus is near the newsfeed

— “Cauldron appeared after the direct invasion of the Russian army. It looks like it came, as artillery bombardment in June at the border, a surprise for Ukrainian generals. The timely order for retreat didn’t come. Therefore the Ukrainian soldiers, as if by the consent of Russia’s president Volodymyr Putin, were promised to be given an open corridor and let go out, saving their lives. Russians gave “the word of a Russian officer”, that they wouldn’t shoot. But when the Ukrainian soldiers approached the “Putin’s corridor”, they started shelling from all types of weapons. The Ukrainian military men and volunteers had to break through in small groups by storm and with heavy casualties.

— I know all of it already, I know…What about these groups?...Oho…

"The local citizens have been ordered by the militia to deliver up the punishers under the threat of military tribunal"…

Scene 5

The basement of Tetyana’s house. The entire group has assembled. Tetyana opens up some very old canning jars, dismisses something, treats the fighters with something.

Tetyana

— And there’s nothing to give you for a trip. Neighbours will go for food to the town only tomorrow.

Slon

— Such is the fate. I cannot meet classmates by any means and Velez — as if on purpose.

Tetyana

— So he is Veles ... beautiful. Dmitry, why Veles?

Veles

— There was such God. He sang songs to all who fight, to get fraternized. I'll soon sing myself... Strelka, hey Strelka, look, what’s wrong with my foot.

Strilka comes, raises trousers to the knee, opens the wound.

Strilka

— Do you have some medications? It is festered, so much...

Tetyana comes, looks too.

Veles

— Tanya, get away, you make me shy — I am naked

Tetyana

— You're a fool, Dima, as you always were, how I hate you!

Veles

— You love me, Tanya, but got married to Chervonets.

Tetyana

— Leave him here, guys, leave this wounded idiot on my hands, it could really be destiny.

Poet

— It's actually very dangerous, I think we are being searched, maybe with dogs ... Both you and your son could get into trouble.

Slon

— Well, where do they get the dogs — who knew that we could get away? A large basement is here, he’ll recover a bit, we have connection, when we get out, we’ll send for him.

Laurel

— Veles, how are you? Do you agree? ..

Veles

— There’s no escape from fate.

Poet

— Well, then let’s go quickly until neighbours are still asleep. For who knows who they are…

Tetyana

— That's right, now no son responsible for father, neither sister responsible for brother, nor for their neighbours. Wait, here's some water, food, and for you, girl, I’ve found a gown, — not much clothes here, — We’ ve got what on us, in fact.

Strilka

— Oh, no, don’t do it, what for…

Tetyana

You’ll change your clothes and look like a local girl

Scene 6

Field of sunflowers. All sit squatting. Explosions.

Slon

— Vasylek (cornflower)...

Laurel

— Cornflower ...

Strilka

— My favorite flowers. As a child I gathered them in colza.

Poet

— I do not know what you are talking about, but they shoot us from “Hyacinth”.

Laurel

— Also beautiful. As a child I smoked sunflowers.

Slon

— Oh, what about the details?

Laurel

— Poet, give me one piece of paper from your pocket notebook.

Poet

— Wait, I’ve got inspiration and the poem appeared.

Laurel

— Then give me a piece of paper and read.

Laurel finds dry leaves of sunflowers, grinds, Slon monitors this celebration, then, after rolling cigarettes, both smoke with great pleasure.

Slon

— So that’s what happiness is!

Laurel

— Yes, well, I imagined it in different way ...

Poet

— Well, listen then ...

He who came out of hell, holding gun in his hands.

Goes through sunflowers, millions of them around,

And between them calmly, and then where — no one knows,

For the lakes are red and the sun is black near Krasnosel'ske.

Heads of sunflowers bowed to fate now

Under the weight of thoughts in solid black shell.

Too long, fatally long they’ve been obedient to the sun,

Turned only to him, obeyed destiny.

You're right, enemies turned out to be everywhere,

Those that’re just inside, break into pieces your chest,

Those who hear whether one will complain,

Hold radars on the horizon.

Strilka

— Great… Scary … And what’s then?

Poet

— And nothing more .

Strilka

— Will there be anything else?

Poet

— There won’t be

Scene 7

Chervonets and Martynov before the sunflower field with binoculars, fully armed — machineguns, grenade launchers.

Martynov

— Two have touched off the stretch — managed to go 30 kilometres. Another one stole a motorcycle from a local, but was shot at the checkpoint, hasn’t got anywhere. But they escape, they escape...

Chervonets

— Maybe to hell with them? After this, they will not fight any more.

Martynov

— The ones who have been mobilized, will not go. But volunteers are reckless, those Right Sector fighters will climb without arms and legs, they must be burned. Oh, and isn’t there a smoke in the field?..

Chervonets

— I don’t see.

Martynov

— But I see. Look, there. Shoots. Shoots again. Lets burst of machinegun fire.

Chervonets

— No, there is nothing.

Martynov (looks attentively)

— Maybe not. Not anymore. Come on, let's see.

Chervonets (looking at the opposite side of the field)

— And there, can you see there, the stems move? Maybe, a dog?

Martynov (begins to shoot the direction shown by Chervonets)

— Fascist dog, do not take it alive.

Chervonets

— Yes, where are the fascist dogs? Every dog is local. My Akbar fled when Grad shells hit the neighbour’s house, and is still missing.

Martynov

— What breed?

Chervonets

— German Shepherd.

Martynov

— Well, fascist. I do not like dogs. Come check there, where the smoke fled.

Chervonets

— Would you like some hooch?

Martynov

— Pour, brake. He asks. Bloody interviewer!

Chervonets pulls out a jar, turns off the lid, pours.

Martynov

— For Mother Russia! For its prodigal sons!

Scene 8

In the field of sunflowers Slon, Laurel and Strilka are lying, not moving. Next to them is Poet, he has been killed. Strilka is seeking his pulse on his neck, shows with gestures that there is no pulse.